Cayce Health Database

OVERVIEW OF SCIATICA

Sciatica can be a very painful and disabling problem.
It involves pain in the leg, which is caused by irritation of the sciatic
nerve, the largest nerve in the body.

The sciatic nerve is formed by lumbar (lower back)
nerve roots, where the nerves emerge from the spine. These nerve roots
join together at the sides of the spine to form the large unified bands,
which are the right and left sciatic nerves. These nerves course downward
from the lower back, through the buttocks, and into the thighs, each one
eventually splitting into two major branches (the tibial nerve and the
common peroneal nerve) just above the knee. These smaller nerve branches
provide the nerve supply to the lower leg, which is essential for controlling
the movement of the leg muscles. Sciatica can involve pain at any point
along the course of the sciatic nerve and its branches, from the lower
back to the tip of the big toe, but it most commonly refers to pain in
the leg.

Though most nerves are threadlike in appearance, the
sciatic nerve is more accurately visualized as a thick, smooth gray rope,
often approaching an inch in diameter. The bulk of the nerve (and the
many layers of nerve fibers within it) make it particularly susceptible
to pressure and irritation.

Modern Medical, Osteopathic and Chiropractic Explanations of Sciatica

The current conventional understanding of sciatica
is that it most frequently occurs as the result of pressure on nerve roots,
due to a bulging or ruptured spinal disc. These discs are composed of
a strong outer layer of circular fibers and an inner layer of a gel-like
material. Spinal discs act as shock-absorbing cushions between the vertebrae
(spinal bones).

If the outer fibers of a spinal disc give way due
to a traumatic injury or long-term gradual weakening, the gel can slip
out through the tear in the outer layer. In most instances, it remains
connected to the main mass of gel in the disc (this is called a protrusion),
but in other more severe cases, it breaks off (this is called a prolapse)
to form a "free fragment." Protrusions and prolapses usually occur in
the area of the nerve root. Because the root is exquisitely sensitive,
this results in the classic sharp leg pain of sciatica. If a large disc
rupture occurs, and a significant amount of the gel breaks loose, there
may be no good alternative to back surgery. Fortunately, most cases of
sciatica are less severe and can be treated less invasively.

Sciatica caused by mild to moderate disc bulges can
be treated by chiropractors and osteopaths with specialized forms of traction
(the McManis and Cox methods), spinal adjustments or manipulations, and
stretching exercises for the lower back.

Sciatica-like leg pain can also come from spinal problems
not directly related to the spinal discs. Spinal imbalances, which chiropractors
call "subluxations" and osteopaths call "lesions," may involve the locking
of joints (places where two bones meet) of the lumbar vertebrae or of
the sacroiliac joints, located in the back of the pelvis. These are a
common source of both lower back pain and the leg pain that sometimes
accompanies it. Such subluxations and lesions are best treated with manual
manipulation by a chiropractor or osteopath.

The Cayce Readings Approach to Sciatica

The Cayce readings that are related to sciatica are
consistent with the modern health perspective, insofar as they demonstrate
a recognition that the symptoms relate to nerve irritation in the lower
back.

But the Cayce readings go further. They rarely conclude
that the mechanical problems of spinal alignment, joint motion and nerve
pressure are the whole story. Instead, they point toward potentially deeper
levels of causation, particularly with regard to the organs of digestion,
elimination, and circulation.

The Cayce health readings always evaluate the primary
symptom (in this case sciatica) in relation to the rest of the body, with
its many interdependent systems. Cayce's full-body, all-systems' approach
is an excellent early example of holistic medicine. Readers of the Cayce
material find that symptoms are never viewed in isolation, but rather
as part of a whole system, which includes not only the entire body, but
also the mind and spirit that infuse the body.

Commitment to Healing:Making a Choice

Before delving into Cayce's physical recommendations
for the sciatica-sufferers who consulted him, its important to remember
the underlying body-mind-spirit context of the readings. As Cayce said
in reading 3138-1:

"...unless there is the determination in self,
as well as those who may be necessary to make the applications for corrections
with this body, we would not begin, but rather rely upon the sedatives
... [which] are not curative forces at all."

In other words, patients face a choice between suppressing
their symptoms on the one hand, and, on the other, pursuing deeper levels
of healing. Making this choice requires the individual to examine his
or her goals. The Cayce readings are saying that unless these goals include
a commitment to pursuing deeper levels of the healing process,suppressing
the pain with medication may be all that can be hoped for. The readings
by no means endorse such a course of action, but recognize that each individual
has free will in this matter.

These deeper levels of healing may involve much more
than the disappearance of a particular pain or malfunction, and the healing
process may be demanding of both the patient and the doctor. In some of
the cases in this file, the patient did not follow Cayce's recommendations,
and in other cases the directions were followed only in part. Those cases
in which the greatest success was achieved appear to have involved people
who made a commitment to healing and then followed through.

Causes of Sciatica According to the Cayce Readings

The Cayce readings on sciatica refer consistently
to three key causes of the condition:

Injuries to the spine or spinal muscles

Congestion in the colon (large intestine)

A general condition of acidity in the body

Interestingly, the readings indicate that while a
back strain or other back injury usually plays a role in the development
of sciatica, it is not often the primary role. Instead, a more wide-ranging
condition of acidity and toxicity is seen as the central cause. Cayce
is saying that the sciatica stems from an overall imbalance in the body,
which takes the form of a specific symptom (in this case sciatica) as
the result of a particular injury sustained by the body. Reading 2516-2
states this concisely:

Q: What produced these poisons and nerve pressures in the first place?
A: Unbalanced condition and lack of proper eliminations.
Q: Is the condition due to an injury, a wrench in my back, which I
received in the spring?
A: This, of course, only localized it.

In reading 404-12, the questioner asks why the colon
affects the sciatic nerve. Cayce replies, "Because the nerves connect
directly from one to the other!" Modern medical textbooks recognize
this phenomenon, referring to it as the viscero-somatic reflex (viscera=internal
organ, soma=body). Other examples of such reflexes occur when people with
heart problems experience pain in their left arm, or people with gall
bladder trouble have right shoulder pain. (It should be noted that most
cases of left arm and right shoulder pain are not caused by the heart
and gall bladder.)

Cayce's approach expands the conventional view of
sciatica. The inclusive and holistic context mapped out by the Cayce readings
is more akin to the approach of Eastern healing arts than of Western medicine.

Cayce Recommendations for Treatment of Sciatica

Among the physical treatments Cayce advised for sciatica
are:

a natural diet low to moderate in fat, including plenty of vegetables

colonic irrigations

spinal manipulation

massage with oils including olive and peanut

low-power electrical stimulation with the Wet Cell Appliance, which
was used to electrically transmit gold chloride ions into the body

Massage, manipulation, the electrical therapies, and
the external applications can be understood, for the most part, as methods
of balancing the muscular, skeletal, and nervous systems. As such, Cayce's
recommendation to use them is largely consistent with methods of healing
widely accepted today in the health professions, though the form of electrical
stimulation favored by the Cayce readings is of a different nature than
the higher-intensity electrical therapies in common use today.

Where the Cayce readings differ most significantly
from current conventional treatment is with regard to the emphasis they
place on diet, and the roles of circulation and elimination. Most contemporary
doctors who deal with sciatica consider diet, circulation, and elimination
largely irrelevant. The Cayce readings, consistent with the osteopathy
of Cayce's era, consider it to be crucial.

The readings assert that poor diet (high in fats,
low in nutrients) creates a drag upon the overall system. This results
in a buildup of toxins in the system, particularly in the colon. The levels
of the spine that provide the nerve supply to the colon also supply the
sciatic nerve.Nerve distress signals from the colon are transmitted
to the spine at these levels, which in turn activates pain pathways in
the sciatic nerve. This feedback loop goes in both directions, further
reinforcing the vicious cycle.

Cayce's therapies seek to interrupt the cycle at several
points along the way, through colonic irrigations to cleanse the colon
of toxic matter, spinal manipulation to correct structural imbalances
and normalize the nerve supply, massage to stimulate circulation and relax
tense muscles, and electrical therapies to balance body energies.
These, combined with a non-toxic natural diet, provide a program for both
symptom relief and improved overall health.

[NOTE: The above commentary was written by Daniel Redwood, D.C. and is
included in the Circulating File for Sciatica.]

Note: The above information is not intended for self-diagnosis
or self-treatment. Please consult a qualified health care professional
for assistance in applying the information contained in the Cayce Health
Database.

Edgar Cayce is considered the father of holistic medicine. Baar Products is the Official Worldwide Supplier of the Cayce Care remedies line of products developed from the Cayce health readings' recommendations.